ck
to town the same day. The president and general manager were at the
Wickiup during the afternoon, and left for the East at nine o'clock in
the evening, when their car was attached to an east-bound passenger
train. McCloud took supper afterward with Whispering Smith at a Front
Street chop-house, and the two men separated at eleven o'clock. It was
three hours later when McCloud tapped on the door of Smith's room, and
in a moment opened it. "Awake, Gordon?"

"Sure: come in. What is it?"

"The second section of the passenger train--Number Three, with the
express cars--was stopped at Tower W to-night. Oliver Sollers was
pulling; he is badly shot up, and one of the messengers was shot all
to pieces. They cracked the through safe, emptied it, and made a clean
get-away."

"Tower W--two hundred and seventy-six miles. Have you ordered up an
engine?"

"Yes."

"Where's Kennedy?"

A second voice answered: "Right here."

"Strike a light, Farrell. What about the horses?"

"They're being loaded."

"Is the line clear?"

"Rooney Lee is clearing it."

"Spike it, George, and leave every westbound train in siding, with the
engine cut loose and plenty of steam, till we get by. It's now or
never this time. Two hundred and seventy-six miles; they're giving us
our money's worth. Who's going with us, Farrell?"

"Bob Scott, Reed Young, and Brill, if Reed can get him at Sleepy Cat.
Dancing is loading the horses."

"I want Ed Banks to lead a _posse_ straight from here for Williams
Cache; Dancing can go with him. And telephone Gene and Bob Johnson to
sit down in Canadian Pass till they grow to the rocks, but not to let
anybody through if they want to live after I see them. They've got all
the instructions; all they need is the word. It's a long chance, but
I think these are our friends. You can head Banks off by telephone
somewhere if we change our minds when we get a trail. Start Brill
Young and a good man from Sleepy Cat ahead of us, George, if you can,
in a baggage car with any horses that they can get there. They can be
at Tower W by daybreak and perhaps pick up a trail before we reach
there, and we shall have fresh horses for them. I'm ready, I guess;
let's go. Slam the door, George!" In the hall Whispering Smith threw a
pocket-light on his watch. "I want you to put us there by seven
o'clock."

"Charlie Sollers is going to pull you," answered McCloud. "Have you
got everything? Then we're off." The three men tiptoed down